This invention relates to a cover for a machine tool, particularly for covering guide structures and/or drives.
Machine tools include, for example, movably supported carriages for supporting a workpiece or a device for holding a workpiece or a carriage supporting one or more machining spindles. The respective carriage is supported, for example, on a machine frame by means of linear guide structures which need to be protected from dirt and dust.
To this end, German patent, DE 102 23 044 A1 discloses self-supporting bellows structure with U-shaped bent metal sheets, which are interconnected by pleat structures. The U-shaped metal sheets form an armor for the protection of the pleated wall structure. The legs of a U-shaped metal sheet accommodate there between the respective adjacent U-shaped metal sheet.
This arrangement results in a cover arrangement of relatively large width. A corresponding space is often not available in modern machinery.
German Patent, DE 201 15 094 U1 also discloses a cover arrangement which is in the form of a double bellows structure. It includes two pleated wall arrangements interconnected by web walls which also results in a relatively thick, space consuming structure.
German Patent, DE 36 35 874 C2 discloses a bellows arrangement with a lamella armor structure wherein the individual lamellas are connected to intermediate walls of the pleated wall arrangement. The lamellas are straight. They abut one another loosely.
This applies in a similar way to German patent, DE 196 07 370 C2 which also discloses a cover structure for machine tools. The cover structure consists of a pleated wall structure with straight lamellas for protection.
Cover arrangements for machine tools encounter various problems. It is, for example, important that the covers can be easily and rapidly removed. If, for example, a service technician needs to service the guide structure or the drive structures or the drives for the respective drive structures, he first has to remove the covers. This should be possible rapidly and easily, preferably within less than 20 minutes. This is not only time for the servicing of guide structures and drives, but also for the exchange of the covers which, in themselves, are parts subject to wear so that they need to be replaced from time-to-time. If they fail, the machine tool becomes inoperative.
Furthermore, lamellas possibly provided for armoring must be as tight as possible to prevent chips from entering. If, with the usual wet machining relatively harmless chips are deposited which can be flushed away from the cover with an oil flow or a coolant flow, fine chips as they are formed during dry machining can cause substantial damage on the covers. Such chips must be prevented from reaching the covers and damaging the covers or from passing through the covers to the guide structures.
Furthermore, modern machine tools are often set up in tight spaces, so that only little room remains for covers.
It is therefore, the object of the present invention to provide machine tool covers which can be easily installed and removed and which do not require excessive installation spaces.